1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to accessing a device, and, more particularly, to a method, apparatus, and system for controlling access of a device based upon an input received by the device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In light of the rise in the use of smart devices, the issue of controlling access to the content and operation of these devices has become more important. This is particularly the case for portable devices, such as wireless devices. The use of wireless devices continues to increase in modern society. People of various socioeconomic statuses use wireless devices in increasing numbers. Wireless devices may include various types of fixed, mobile and/or portable two-way communication devices, such as radios, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and/or various wireless networking devices. Protecting content and operation of these devices becomes more and more important as wireless devices increasingly become fixtures in our daily lives. Misappropriation of data, or the wireless devices themselves, may thus become more prevalent, and therefore users have the desire to restrict security and access to wireless devices accordingly. Issues such as identity theft and the use of personal wireless devices for work-related activities are also a factor in the need for more wireless device security.
As the complexities of smart devices increase, the amount of information processed and/or stored by smart devices, such as wireless devices or portable computing devices also increase. This may cause various security concerns. For example, wireless devices generally carry various types of personal information, such as financial records, medical records, contact information, network access information, etc. Users also utilize their wireless devices for increasing numbers of daily activities such as electronic mail, text messaging, paying bills online, managing personal and professional calendars, maintaining contacts information and the like. If this information were to be accessed by an unauthorized user, the security and privacy of the user, and possibly the security of other individuals or companies, may be compromised. Some solutions to this problem attempt to provide some security for the user by requiring a password input. However, many times, these passwords can be over-ridden, compromised, or not implemented by the user. Therefore, it would be desirable to efficiently prevent unauthorized usage of the wireless device by efficiently detecting and reacting to such unauthorized accesses, while maintaining convenient access to authorized users.
Further, designers have attempted to provide certain restrictions on the operation or usage of wireless devices in certain contexts. However, the current state of the art fails to perform such a function in an efficient and/or non-intrusive manner. Some state of the art systems suggest selection of applications without logging in to the device by moving icons to a particular location of the screen. However, the state of the art generally requires active selection of an application by the user in addition to performing an action to unlock a selected application. These systems require much intervention from the user in order to obtain access to an application on the device.
Modern hand held devices, such as cellular telephones and portable computing devices, provide a wide range of applications that may be used to perform various functions. Many hand held devices contain various applications, such as voicemail, email functions, text functions, games, productivity applications, etc. As handheld devices become more and more complex, adding additional applications and functions, efficient access to one or more functions of the handheld device can become more problematic.
A user may wish to lock the access to a handheld device and allow for access to the handheld device by performing security functions to unlock the handheld device. For example, many users require a log-in procedure in order to allow access to a handheld device. Due to the varied complexity of various applications or operations, not all applications on a handheld device need be locked or secured in an equal manner. However, state of the art handheld devices generally provide for blocking any access to the handheld device, thereby precluding relatively easy access to certain applications that may not require increased security features. Further, state of the art handheld devices generally employ standard log-in or access procedures which then must be followed by additional scrolling or searching for a desired application. This process may make access to a handheld device unnecessarily cumbersome. The state of the art lacks an efficient process for accessing one or more applications or operating modes available on a handheld device. Many systems generally lack an intelligent system within a wireless device that is capable of assessing certain applications or operations under certain conditions.